MicroRNAs in Endothelial Development and Differentiation

Endothelial integrity or homeostasis is not only essential for regulating arterial activity and vascular tone under physiological conditions, but also critical for triggering various cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis and balloon angioplasty if such a balance has been impaired. Moreover, endothelial cell development and differentiation are key steps during embryogenesis and involves co-ordinations of diverse signaling molecules and transcription factors. Therefore, characterizing the molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial differentiation and development will not only improve our understanding of pathogenesis of vascular disease, but also facilitate our ability in generation of vessels cells from pluripotent stem cells for therapeutic purpose. MicroRNAs, a class of small, non-coding RNAs, have been extensively implicated in the regulation of various aspects of biological processes such as embryonic development, tissue/organ homeostasis, and metabolism, as well as almost all the human disease, particularly cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Accumulating evidence has implicated that microRNAs play an important role in regulation of endothelial development, phenotype and function. In this review, we will summarize new findings from recent studies in this field and discuss our current understanding of how microRNAs regulate endothelial development and differentiation from stem cells.